So, are you having church Sunday night (if you normally do)? Services cancelled? A Super Bowl party on the church's big screen? At Southern Hills Baptist Church, we will be having our regularly scheduled service at our regularly scheduled time. Are we the last church in America that carries on as normal on Super Bowl Sunday night? I would love it if the only voice in my head was the still small voice of the Lord leading and guiding me. But I have another voice there. It's the voice of Lew Miller. I grew up in a preacher's home - one who had some pretty strong beliefs about some … [Read more...] about Church or Super Bowl? An Old-School View
A Moral Dilemma: Can I Cheer for Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers in the Super Bowl?
(This was originally posted Wednesday at sbcIMPACT. Thought it might be a good Super Bowl Week discussion starter) I’ve been a Steeler’s fan since my high school years, when Terry Bradshaw had hair and was rifling passes to Lynn Swann and John Stallworth; since Jack Hamm, Jack Lambert and Mean Joe Greene erected a Steel Curtain that brought even the most powerful offenses to their knees. Four times I cheered passionately as they crushed their Super Bowl foes in the 70's. My passion for the Steelers waned a bit in recent years. I still cheered for them, but as I got to know the life … [Read more...] about A Moral Dilemma: Can I Cheer for Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers in the Super Bowl?
Still the Best Church Ad EVER!
I saw this some time ago and was deeply impressed. Frankly, I think a lot of church advertisement lacks biblical quality. This is the "Grace Community Church" in San Antonio. I don't know anything about the church. It is not, I believe, Southern Baptist, but it does use the London Baptist Confession as a doctrinal basis for church life. Their website has this video that is exactly what church ads should be. Its not about how hip, happening and cool the people of the church are. In fact, it is a confession of their sinfulness. It is about the saving and transforming power of Christ. … [Read more...] about Still the Best Church Ad EVER!
Ezell’s Strategy for NAMB Begins to Unfold
Kevin Ezell has begun to share his new vision for NAMB and Baptist Press is reporting it. He is planning to divide NAMB into 5 regions, each of which will have a VP who will report directly to him. He has named the VPs for the Midwest and Canadian regions. Here is the map of the regions that NAMB has published in BP: He claims that each of the regional supervisors will work with the state convention executives in partnership. There has been a persistent fear (long before Ezell took the helm) that NAMB has been wanting to move away from partnerships and wants to work directly with … [Read more...] about Ezell’s Strategy for NAMB Begins to Unfold
Aspire 2011! A Different Kind of Pastor’s Conference
ASPIRE 2011 from Hope Baptist Church, Las Vegas on Vimeo. Pastors (and everyone else), check out this video. It looks like the 2011 Pastor's Conference will be well worth the time. You will hear more as time goes on, but for now, check out the video. Here is the Pastor's Conference website. Here is a link to the list of speakers. Also, check out their goals - especially the one to raise $100,000 to "take the gospel to an unreached people group in the Arabian Peninsula through a translation project and humanitarian relief." Novel concept - actually making the Pastor's Conference … [Read more...] about Aspire 2011! A Different Kind of Pastor’s Conference
The Eternal Subordination of the Son Is the Historic Doctrine of the Church
I see this old post is circulating anew today. I don't delete posts generally but I am no longer certain of my position on this topic. Dishonest, brethren-attacking Baptists use some of my older posts against me and others. The simple thing would be to delete this, but I see these posts and comment streams as a record of modern denominational history. A remarkable claim has been made by some egalitarian scholars, which has been parroted on this site in discussions of gender roles in the Bible. It has been said that the doctrine of the Eternal Subordination of the Son … [Read more...] about The Eternal Subordination of the Son Is the Historic Doctrine of the Church
They’re BADD
A friend just turned me on to the Belair Drama Department (out of Belair Pres in the LA area). Not endorsing all the theology, and I'm old enough to be a little conflicted about drama/comedy as a part of worship. But these guys are worth watching. Back in college, my roommate and I used to perform "Who's On First?' and seeing this theological knock-off was worth the watching. Enjoy. And, yes, I know that the theology is debatable - but the brilliance of the writing and acting is beyond disputation. … [Read more...] about They’re BADD
Inform the People! An Open Letter to Baptist Press
Dear Baptist Press, I thank you for the good work you do. I'm going to be critical of you here, and I know that is not pleasant. I know what it is like to have your words, your ideas, your thoughts publicly derided. It does not feel good. I thank you good folks for what you do. Before I mention some things that bother me, I'd like to thank you for what you do well. You do a wonderful job of highlighting the work that is going on in Southern Baptist Churches and other entities. Your stories on churches and ministries that are reaching people and changing lives are inspiring and … [Read more...] about Inform the People! An Open Letter to Baptist Press
Brick Walls, Picket Fences (7): Why Build a Brick Wall When a Picket Fence Will Do?
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if all the Christians in a city could come together and form one church? Think of it – only one church for all of Sioux City. What a blessing that would be, right? The unity that God intended for His church – an answer to Jesus’ prayer in John 17 – experienced here on earth. Christians joining to worship the Lord and serve him together without all that petty bickering and division – it would be glorious! Someone start humming the Doxology so we can all join in! But then, after the euphoria began to fade, a few uncomfortable realities might begin to present … [Read more...] about Brick Walls, Picket Fences (7): Why Build a Brick Wall When a Picket Fence Will Do?
Genesis 3: Temptation, the Fall, and Gender Roles
There is great conflict in the modern church, even among evangelicals, about gender roles in the home and at the church. While there are extremes on both ends of the spectrums, evangelicals tend to fall into two groups. Egalitarians assert that the Bible regards all people equally and does not assign different roles on the basis of gender. Wives are not obligated to submit to their husbands, nor are pastoral or other church leadership roles limited to men. Complementarians believe that while men and women have equal value and standing before God, we have been assigned different roles. … [Read more...] about Genesis 3: Temptation, the Fall, and Gender Roles